Here we present the last set of entries for this year’s NorShipping Next generation Ship Award. Entry to the award is open to all vessels that have either been delivered or which have undergone major conversion since the 2017 Nor-Shipping Exhibition, or that are scheduled for delivery within three years of the 2019 event.
Nor-Shipping’s expert jury will look to identify the project demonstrating the greatest advances and innovation in design, assessed with respect to energy efficiency, innovation, suitability and flexibility, technology utilisation, safety and security and environmental sustainability. All ship types will be given equal consideration, regardless of size or segment. The jury will soon begin drawing up its shortlist and will be meeting in April to decide the eventual winner.
Ships are long term assets and in a fast moving world of technological innovation keeping ahead of the pack means either integrating the advances in newbuildings or giving existing ships a new edge by retrofit or conversion. ShipInsight is showcasing all of the entries for this year’s award in a series of articles. They are presented in the order of entry date and thus nothing about their chances of success in the awards should be inferred.
NSK LFC 4300 LNG
This is the world’s first LNG hybrid wellboat for operation carrying live fish at the Nordlaks fish farm in Norway.
The well boat is 84 meters long and 19 meters wide and is equipped with the latest technology for handling fish and water quality. The well boat has the capacity to carry over 600 tons of live salmon and also has very good facilities for the crew. It is a hybrid/LNG propelled vessel being built at the Tersan shipyard in Turkey to a design by Norwegian ship designer NSK.
Rolls-Royce has been commissioned to provide equipment for the vessel including four Bergen gas fired main engines and a propulsion and Dynamic Positioning system. Fuel for the engines is stored in two LNG tanks but each engine has its own fuel supply system conferring an exceptionally high degree of redundancy for the ship. The quartet of engines is complemented by a large battery pack and shore power connection which will add to the redundancy of the ship and allow for completely emission free operation under some circumstances.
World Explorer
Under construction at Portugal’s WestSea Viana Shipyard, the 9,300gt expedition cruise ship World Explorer to be operated by Mystic Cruises will carry 200 passengers in one of the most advanced hybrid ships.
The 126-meter was designed by Italian naval architect Giuseppe Tringali and features a Rolls-Royce energy-efficient hybrid propulsion system. The propulsion system is built around two Bergen, C25:33L8P main engines and a Bergen C25:33L6P auxiliary dual generator. They are connected to a low voltage Rolls-Royce AFE ‘SAVeCUBE’ power electric system that allows the engines to operate at variable speeds, maximising their efficiency for the required power.
The vessel has an electric driven pump jet propulsion allowing which when operating on battery power allows silent navigation up to 5 knots in fjords or close to ice areas. It also allows Dynamic Position operation without the need of the main engines and propellers.
Havila Kystruten Ferries (Pictured)
A series of four hybrid cruise ferries being built by Norwegian ferry operator Havila Kystruten.
Associated company Havyard Design & Solutions will deliver the ship design and equipment package for the vessels which will be built outside of Norway. Turkey’s Tersan and Spain’s Astillero Hijos de J Barreras will each build two of the LNG and battery-powered vessels.
Havyard has carried out an extensive design process to meet the energy consumption requirements on the Bergen-Kirkenes coastal route. Weather data, sailing schedules, charging possibilities and modern simulation tools were used to design hull lines that achieved the desired energy consumption even with a traditional diesel-electric propulsion system. In addition, LNG gas engines have been chosen in combination with batteries in order to minimise Kystruten’s environmental footprint. This combination means that the Kystruten vessels can operate with near zero NOx and SOx emissions, as well as other particle emissions. A significant reduction of CO2 emissions has also been achieved.
The Kystruten vessels are also designed for the use of hydrogen as an energy source. Hydrogen is being studied in a research project that involves Havyard and Kystruten, namely the ‘FreeCO2ast’ project, which aims to demonstrate zero-emission voyages longer than ten hours. Modern heat pump technology will be used on board in addition to electric generation of waste heat and the reuse of heat in different circuits.
G5GG: Grimaldi 5th Green Generation
These are the first units of a new series of 7,800 lane meter hybrid ro-ro ships. The ships are powered by marine diesels and have scrubbers installed to remove SOx and particulates.
While at berth, they are capable of meeting the demands for energy of on-board activities with just electricity stored in lithium batteries that are recharged during navigation by shaft generators and by 600m2 of solar panels.
When sailing they will benefit from two innovative systems: Peak Shaving and Air Lubrication. Peak shaving can be obtained once the batteries have been recharged (even partially) and will make it possible to keep the load on the main engine constant reducing all the transients that cause extra consumption and emissions. The load peaks will be managed by batteries connected to reversible-axle alternators, which can work not only as generators but also as motors. The Air Lubrication System is an innovation capable of reducing the friction of the hull, through a flow of small air bubbles under the “flat bottom” by means of specific blowers controlled with VFDs (Variable Frequency Drives). The flow of small bubbles under the hull is capable of reducing its resistance to friction. The hull will also be treated with a cycle of non-toxic silicon paint of the latest generation based on the concept of “free surface energy”, characterised by low surface roughness.
The loading capacity of the garages of these ships is twice that of the largest ships currently operated by the Neapolitan Group and three times that of the previous generation of ro/ro ships, but with the same fuel consumption at the same speed.
Gagarin prospect
Owned by Russian operator Sovcomflot, the 113,170dwt Gagarin Prospect is the world’s first Aframax tanker designed to use cleaner-burning LNG as her primary fuel. She was delivered from Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries in July 2018 and is time-chartered to Shell for up to ten years. She is the first of an initial order of six such vessels by Sovcomflot as part of its ‘Green Funnel’ initiative, launched in partnership with Shell to introduce LNG as a primary fuel for large-capacity tankers and, in general, for vessels not tied to fixed routes or set timetables.
With her ice class 1A hull, Gagrarin Prospect is designed for year-round export operations from areas with challenging ice conditions. She is equipped with ice radars and spotlights, ensuring full compliance with the recently introduced Polar Code. Her main engines, auxiliaries, and boilers are dual fuel, capable of using LNG. She is fitted with a low-pressure X-DF dual fuel engine, to minimise the emissions of particulate matter. When not utilising LNG fuel, the installation of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology enables her to comply with the Tier III regulations governing NOx emissions.
